The Atlanta Braves start a critical three-game series against the New York Mets on Tuesday night, but they’ll be missing Austin Riley.
Riley hasn’t played since August 18 when a pitch broke his right hand. The Braves have also been without Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies for parts of this injury-filled season.
Recent tests show Riley’s hand hasn’t healed enough, ending his season. Even if the Braves make it to the NLCS or World Series, he won’t be back.
Braves’ Injury Woes Continue:
Austin Riley won’t be available if the Braves reach the postseason. A CT scan completed yesterday showed his fractured right hand hasn’t healed enough to extend hope he could play again at some point this year.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman)
To fill in for Riley, the Braves signed Gio Urshela just two days after Riley got hurt. Urshela has started in 30 out of 32 games since joining and has performed decently with a .270/.289/.423 batting line and three home runs. His defense has been solid too .
Fans might think it’s surprising how well Urshela has fit into the team despite coming from Detroit Tigers where he had a minus-0.2 WAR.
The timing was lucky for Atlanta as they picked up Urshela right when they needed him most. He’s helped keep them in playoff contention despite all their injuries.
As of Tuesday, the Braves are one game behind Arizona Diamondbacks for the third wild-card spot and two games behind the Mets. New York can clinch a postseason spot with two wins in this series against Atlanta, while it’s crucial for the Braves to gain ground now.
What do you think about these injuries affecting their chances?
